Starters=Volatility

Cliff Lee - Again, this is why you should never waste a high draft pick on any pitcher, except Johan Santana. They are too volatile. They have too man ups and downs when it comes to performance and injury risk. Lee was lit up for 4ERs over 5IPed. If you were an owner who drafted Lee high because of his great CY Young year of 2008, I feel sorry for you.

Roy Halladay - On a positive note, Halladay came back from a rough first outing to get a win against the Indians. Owners who have Halladay should not worry and expect him to be another Cy Young contender this year. With Wells, Rios, Snider, and Lind swinging the bats, you might see Roy with a few more wins. Very scary!!!

BJ Ryan - Sticking with the Jays, the bullpen more specifically the closers role needs to be looked at. Ryan was torched for 3ERs over 0.1IPed. If you are a BJ owner, make sure to back him up with Scott Downs.

Hank Blalock - Two years of injuries seems to have given Hank some time to get back to raking. If Hank stays healthy he could be a sleeper in Texas this year. This guy has posted some great fantasy numbers in the past and if he continues stay healthy and hits behind Hamilton owners could see a 25/90 year from this once upon time fantasy staple.

Rocco Baldelli - For AL-Only, this guy should be on your roster. Seems to be healthy and swinging the bat and connecting.

Sell High

The following are guys who you should consider selling high.

Josh Hamilton of the Rangers. After playing 81 games this season, Hamilton is hitting .312, with 19HRs, 80RBIs, 3SBs, and has only K'ed 59 times. This player has never played more than 90 games in a single season which means he has not finished a complete season in the bigs as a full time player. Don't expect him to hit another 80RBIs. Take a honest look at your needs and see if you can leverage Hamilton into a huge pitcher like Santana, Webb, or Sabathia.

Lance Berkman of the Astros. What I said about Hamlton goes for Berkman. Berkman is absolutely tearing up the ball and I do not expect him to continue at this pace. Expect him to settle at around .320-.330 while hitting around 15HRs and knocking in another 50RBIs. Sell high for a pitcher.

Dan Uggla of the Marlins is on pace to hit around 40+HRs and knock in 110RBIs, don't expect him to do so. This guy is a first half player (.279, 53HRs, 161RBIs all done before the break compared to .250, 28HRs, 75RBIs after) and if need help on the pitching side, go out and see what Uggla can get you.

Michael Bradley of the Rangers is in the same boat as Hamilton. Instead of substance abuse this guy can't seem to stay healthy for an entire season. If he can find a way to stay healthy he can produce for you. Try and cash in your investment and see if you can grab some help from another player that is more reliable.

Xavier Nady of the Pirates is doing very well this season but he has never played more than 125 games in a year and had more than 431ABs. This is the time to cash him in for someone who can help you out somewhere else.

Chipper Jones of the Braves has the chance to .400 but in my eyes the more important thing owners should worry about is his health. This guy will see 4-5 games a week now and with that comes lower productivity in accounting numbers. The great news here is other owners will die for his services. Ship him out for some more reliable daily players.

Edison Volquez, Cliff Lee, Jason Duchscherer, and John Danks are all pitchers who I don't see finishing the year in the way they pitched during the first half of the season. Cash in for some hitters.

Keep on Raking

Chase Utley of the Phillies is unconscious right now!!!! He just hit his 4th straight HR in as many games. Add to this he has 6 HR's in his past 7 games and 17RBI's. I can't even begin to explain how valuable Utley is to any fantasy roster. Just be glad he is on your roster and not someone elses. He is absolutely amazing!

Josh Hamilton of the Rangers is continuing his sweet swing with another HR last night. He has 3HR's in his last 5 games while batting in 10. It seems like his off-field troubles have been solved and fantasy owners who found him and have him on their rosters should be glad he stopped doing lines and started raking. The only problem I see with Hamilton is he has never competed a full season so he might start to lose steam as the season goes on. But at this moment, enjoy his sweet swing and the top spot in your fantasy leagues.

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton of the Rangers is continuing his hot 2008 season by hitting another 2HR's last night. In his past 10 games he's had 15H's, 4HR's, 10R's, and 16RBI's. That is absolutely crazy production!! Owners shouldn't expect him to keep this production up for the rest of the season but 35HR's and 110RBI's isn't out of the question.